Archie Henderson (25), of Redesmouth Court, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on Monday to be sentenced, having pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Michael Thompson at a pre-trial hearing last month.
The court was shown CCTV footage from the early hours of Saturday, January 28. It showed Henderson and his girlfriend had an argument inside the club, resulting in her slapping him to the face and putting her hands around his throat.
Thirty-two-year-old Mr Thompson had been nearby at the time of the incident, and it is thought he could have tried to act as a peacemaker between the pair.
Witnesses said Henderson then challenged him to a fight, before his girlfriend told him to “leave it” and they left the premises.
Describing the CCTV footage from outside the nightclub, prosecutor Mark Giuliani said: “Mr Thompson is offering his hand out as a handshake. The defendant puts his right hand forward and punches him to the right side of his jaw with his left fist.”
He told the court that Henderson said “fat lad, come on then” before punching him, saying “this is what you deserve.”
Mr Thompson was treated for cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived and a post-mortem found the likely cause of death to be post-concussive cardiorespiratory arrest, resulting from the two blunt-force impacts to the head – one from the punch and one from his head hitting the ground.
The court heard that after the incident, Henderson hid close by in an alleyway, and when witnesses called him a coward he said “you as well then, come on.”
He handed himself in to Hexham Police Station at around 10am that morning, telling officers: “I am really sorry, I didn’t mean it.”
Peter Makepeace QC, defending, said: “He apologised to the officers immediately. The defendant doesn’t seek or offer any excuses for his actions.
“He has very little to offer as any proper explanation of the events of that night, and certainly can’t express it to the court – whether he can’t remember it or it is a defence mechanism.”
He said Henderson has held a job down and worked hard all his life, but has a binge drinking problem.
A victim statement was read out by Mr Thompson’s brother, David Thompson and one was read from his mother Barbara Thompson in which she called her son, a Class 1 HGV driver and a dad to Lilly and his ex-partner’s son Freddie, a ‘gentle giant’.
The court heard Henderson had a previous conviction for assault, for punching someone in the same bar in 2015.
Before passing the sentence, Judge Paul Sloane QC, recorder of Newcastle upon Tyne, said: “It was a premeditated revenge attack, you said “this is what you deserve,” when in fact it was wholly unprovoked.
“The offence was committed whilst you were under the influence of a cocktail of drink and drugs, taking it well knowing that you are prone to aggression in those circumstances.”
Henderson was handed a prison sentence of four-and-a-half-years, and ordered to serve at least half of the sentence in custody.
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